Tees Valley region receives £30m boost to fund adult education skills

Today (August 1), the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority have taken control of an annual devolved budget of around £29.5m.

The investment is set to deliver adult education provision across the region.

To mark the event, Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor, visited Stockton-based training provider DTN Academy, which provides a learning experience for the telecommunications industry, including local firms such as Map Group, for its adult training open day.

In July, the Mayor and Combined Authority Cabinet agreed to award the funding to 33 providers, including DTN Academy, who will deliver post-19 education and skills across the region for the 2019/2020 academic year from today.

As part of the government’s devolution agenda, areas with Metro Mayors have been granted control over the post-19 Adult Education Budgets, alongside powers covering delivery, and performance management.

This is the first time Tees Valley will have control of this budget, and it is one of only seven areas in the country with the powers.

Mayor Houchen said: “Thanks to devolution, we are only taking control of this fund from London because our region agreed to a directly-elected Mayor. With this investment, we will ensure learners can gain the skills that local businesses desperately need.

“For decades, some companies took the easy way out and brought in cheap labour to fill demand. Now we have control over post-19 education, we will start investing in home-grown talent by retraining local people to fill our skills gap.”

Adult education is said to be a major strand of the 10-year Tees Valley Investment Plan, which was agreed in January this year.

This has seen an additional £55m committed for wider education, employment and skills initiatives, including projects and schemes to tackle unemployment, support apprenticeships, and engage young people with employers.

Cllr Bob Cook, the Combined Authority’s cabinet lead for education, employment and skills, added: “Today marks a milestone in our adult education offer in Tees Valley.

“It’s the end of years of discussions with government and the beginning of being able to actively make a change for the better in the lives of our residents.

“By providing the correct, relevant training linked to the opportunities and sectors across our region, our residents can get the skills to access top-quality careers and realise their potential.”

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